It’s kind of amazing to me that many Americans cannot see or appreciate the difference between a presidential candidate with extraordinary “grass roots” support and one whose support has been coming, in the main, from the political ‘machine’.
Figures released today by the campaign of Barack Obama indicate that the Illinois Democrat raised over $40 million in March…and that this total came from more than 442,000 donors who made an average contribution of $96.
Significant as that is, it may be even more important to note that very nearly half of those donors were first-time contributors.
This means that the Obama campaign has enormous — and continuously growing — grass roots support. Nearly 1.3 million individuals in America have so far sent contributions to help Barack Obama become president.
It seems clear to me from these fund-raising numbers — and from the election results across America (Obama has won in more states, has more committed delegates, and has a higher popular vote count nationally) — that this gentle man from Illinois is the people’s choice for the Democratic nomination.
Comparable numbers for March fund-raising have not yet been released by the Clinton campaign, but her spokesperson is already saying that “we expected to be out-raised” by Obama. Out-raised, out-polled, out-numbered in states won…what will it take for the Clinton people to understand that the only reason she is in this race at all is that she has had the big city Democratic machine behind her in many of the larger states?
Today there are news reports that Sen. Clinton said to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, when asking for his endorsement over Barack Obama, “Bill, he can’t win” in November.
I hate to use simple logic here, but if Hillary believes Obama can’t win in November, and she can’t beat him now…how does that make her the best candidate?
One more thing, please. Sen. Clinton said a week or more ago that she believes she could get the votes of the Superdelegates because the states in which she has won the primaries (including New York and California) carry more electoral colleges votes than the states Obama has won — and it is electoral college votes that will count in the Fall.
The only thing wrong with this argument is that it assumes that those BIg States would jump ship on the Democrats in the Fall if Obama is the candidate. But does anyone seriously expect New York, California, or New Jersey to vote Republican in November? No. Not even the Republicans expect that. No, the Clinton logic just falls apart.
I think it’ll be time for the Democrats to call it a game very soon now and just pick their nominee, by a “show of hands” from the Superdelegates, who we are all very clear now are going to be making the choice. And boy, if those Superdelegates get together in a back room (or on conference calls) somewhere and pick a person who has won fewer states, has earned fewer committed delegates, and trails by over 100,000 in the national popular vote…there very well could be a revolt in the Democratic Party at the grass roots the likes of which no one has ever seen before.
There is a part of me that is only sorry that two candidates presenting America with the opportunity to make a truly historic choice — a woman or a black for president — would have to come up in the same year. Pitting these two remarkable human beings against each other is such a sad thing for so many of us. Of course, the Clinton people (and most in the Democratic Party, truth be told) were not thinking a year and a half ago (and even closer in than that) that a thin man from Illinois with big ears and a wonderful gift for public speaking and inspiring people would even come close to truly challenging the then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
I mean, everyone thought 18 months ago that Hillary Clinton had the nomination wrapped up. i remember in those early debates how she was called the front-runner by nearly everyone. She, herself, in one of the debates, noticed how everyone else on the stage was “piling on”, directing their attacks against her, because she was the front-running candidate.
So Barack Obama has surprised everyone. But the fact that he is the clear choice of the folks at the grass roots in American can no longer be a surprise…and the real shock now would be if the party’s insiders, those Superdelegates, really did find a way to justify giving her the Democratic nomination.
This is not a knock against Hillary Clinton, the candidate. I think she is an outstanding candidate. Ready, absolutely, to be president. But so is Barack Obama. And he has won this contest, fair and square.
Yes, yes, yes…even after all the primaries are held, that will still be true.
And does anyone really think it would be fair to award Hillary those delegates from Florida and Michigan after she said about Florida, months before its election, that “those votes won’t count anyway,” and after Obama’s name was not even ON the Michigan ballot…because of an agreement between the candidates not to campaign in these two states because their primaries were being held in violation of party rules?
Only a desperate, desperate person would say, “Well, yes, we DID agree to that, but I think now, after due consideration (and after the votes went my way, since my opponent’s name was not even on the ballot in one state, and since many of his supporters may have stayed away from the polls in another because I, myself, said the votes wouldn’t even count…) — after due consideration, I think we should count those votes after all.”
I guarantee you that if HER name had not been on the ballot, and if Obama had won the most votes in an election in which HE said those votes “won’t even count,” that Hillary Clinton would never, EVER let Obama change the rules now.
I promise you.
So let’s move forward, shall we? Obama has won this thing, as the final primaries will show. Yes, Hillary will win Pennsylvania, but not by a wide enough margin to give her an overall delegate lead…and Obama is going to win most of the other primaries…and when the whole shootin’ match is over he will still have won more states, garnered more committed delegates, and lead in the national popular vote.
Wanna bet?